Sad Meeting, Sadder Parting
by Higuchimon
Summary: [one-shot, Yu-Gi-Oh Pairings Challenge, season 11, round 2, Honda x Miho/Miho x Honda, Tieshipping, au: fantasy] Held captive with Yuugi and Jounouchi on a pirate ship, Honda knows that they have to escape. The pretty girl who brings their food doesn't make the truth easier to accept.


**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.  
**Fandom:** Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters  
**Title:** Sad Meeting, Sadder Parting  
**Romance:** Honda x Miho  
**Word Count:** 10,635||**Status:** One-shot  
**Genre:** Romance, Fantasy||**Rated:** PG-13  
**Challenge:** Yu-Gi-Oh Pairings Challenge: Season 11, Round 2: Honda x Miho (Tieshipping)  
**Feedback:** All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
**Notes:** This takes place in the same universe as **Breaking of Tradition**, just in a different part of the world.  
**Summary:** Held captive with Yuugi and Jounouchi on a pirate ship, Honda knows that they have to escape. The pretty girl who brings their food doesn't make the truth easier to accept.

* * *

Honda and Jounouchi both looked up as the door to their tiny cell creaked open. There stood a young woman of about their age, hair caught back by a ribbon, carrying a tray in her hands. She stepped forward, one of the guards bracing the door for her as she did, and brought the tray closer toward them.

"Your dinner." Where some of the pirates would likely have been nasty toward them, her quiet, low voice sparked something warm inside of Honda's chest. He couldn't see her that well, not with how dark it was in here, but he didn't think it mattered. She brought food. That made her a goddess in his opinion.

"Thanks." It wasn't the best food by any means, but it would sustain them for a while: bread, something that might've been meat if one didn't look too closely, a few scattered vegetables, and two cups of wine.

_Probably from our supplies._ Honda reached for one of the cups; he'd been aching for something to drink for what felt like forever. It wasn't one of the rarer vintages, probably something made for the common people, but it had what he wanted: it was wet and it was cool.

He glanced back up at the woman as she settled the tray before them and stepped backward. Her gaze shifted back and forth between them, shoulders held tense.

"So, what's someone like you doing in a place like this?" Honda didn't need to see Jounouchi all that well to know that his friend rolled his eyes at his comment.

"I'm Lady Mai's servant." Honda liked the sound of her voice and wondered if he could keep her talking, just to hear a little more of it. "My name's Miho."

He nodded, gesturing toward himself with the chunk of bread held in the hand that didn't have his wine. "Honda Hiroto. This is Jounouchi Katsuya." He held his head up a little higher. Chains or no chains, some things didn't change. "We serve Prince Yuugi."

"I know." Miho's smile gleamed bright enough that Honda had no trouble making it out even in the flickering lamplight. "I've brought him his dinner, too."

Jounouchi sat up a little more at that. "How is he? She's not hurting him, is she?"

Miho blinked a few times and shook her head. "Of course not. Captain Mai wouldn't do that." The whole idea seemed to shock her.

"She's a pirate." Jounouchi didn't quite spit the word out but his tone wasn't that far from it.

At once Miho straightened up, eyes hardening just a fraction. "She wouldn't do that."

Honda would've gotten to his feet if the chains binding him allowed it. As it was, he gave Jounouchi his best annoyed look. "Eat your dinner." If he made her mad enough, she might leave, and one thing Honda knew well after living with his mother and sister was not to annoy people who had anything to do with your food.

Jounouchi glared down at the food, and while Honda could understand the look, he still wanted to talk to this Miho more. She was the first person he'd seen who he'd actually liked looking at since their capture. Not that Captain Mai wasn't an easy place to rest the eyes, but he'd seen how Jounouchi looked at the feisty blonde the few times she'd entered their prison. He'd compete with Jounouchi on a lot of levels, but not where women were concerned.

"How did you get into this life?" Miho just didn't look like the type of person likely to fall in easily with pirates. Be their prisoner, without a doubt, since she barely looked as if she could stand up to a stiff breeze, but work with them?

She shrugged. "It's not that important." She also clearly wasn't given to random chatter about herself. He'd have to find some other way to get to know her. Maybe once they got off this scow, she'd be willing to come with them.

He could dream, anyway.

"Hurry up in there." The guard growled out the words, turning to look at them. "We don't have all day."

"Yeah, what else do you have to do?" Jounouchi wanted to know, poking at one of the apples on the tray before biting into it. "Got anyone else you need to give more bad food to?"

"You could be not getting anything at all." The guard reminded him, a slight smirk on his lips. "Captain Mai's more generous than I would be."

Miho glanced towards him, and Honda told himself that he saw a gleam of disapproval in her eyes. She said nothing, though, only waited for them to finish their meal. Once they had, she gathered the tray up and headed out the door. Before the door closed again, Honda got a better look at the ribbon in her hair: a lovely sun yellow, just the right shade to go with her hair. _So pretty._

Jounouchi sagged back against the wall, groaning. "They call that food?"

"Better than gruel, I guess?" Honda wished he could get closer to the door and get some idea of which way Miho'd gone. He wanted to talk to her, get to know her better. Someone that quiet, that reserved, on a ship full of pirates? It went against everything he'd ever imagined and he wanted to know the reasons why.

Jounouchi nudged him a little, the clink of chains the only other sound beside their own voices. "So what were you doing looking at her like that?"

"What?" Honda had never been so glad for the dim light. It hid the burning flush in his cheeks quite nicely. "I wasn't looking at her!" The last thing he wanted was for Jounouchi to start teasing him. At times, the blond acted like he was still a teenager!

"Yeah, right. I'm not blind. You like her, don't you?"

"She works for the pirates. Why would I like her?" Honda snorted. He could see part of the guard's broad shoulders just outside the door and even if he'd wanted Jounouchi to know, he wouldn't have said anything. Some things it wasn't wise to let your enemies know about.

Jounouchi snorted himself. "You keep telling yourself that." He shifted again. "Man, how long have we been here?"

"I'm not sure. A day or so, I think?" He hadn't been keeping track. He'd slept more than he'd done anything else, and so had Jounouchi. Probably a legacy of that sleeping spell that made them all prisoners in the first place.

"We've got to get out of here." Jounouchi leaned his head over and murmured into Honda's ear. "Who knows what she's doing to Yuugi?"

Saving the young prince meant more than anything to both of them. Honda shoved Miho's pretty face out of his thoughts and tried to work out anything they could do. Being chained here and with an unknown mage somewhere on the pirate crew didn't give them a lot of realistic options.

That didn't mean either of them would give up any time soon, either. It wasn't as if Yuugi couldn't come up with something on his own, either. It wouldn't be the first time he'd managed to get them all out of trouble. Sometimes Honda wondered why they were his bodyguards, anyway. More than once, it was the person who tried to annoy Yuugi who ended up needing the guarding, usually on the way to the insane asylum.

Try as he might, though, Miho's face returned to his mind over and over again. They hadn't even exchanged a full hundred words and still he thought he'd remember the shape of her lips and the tilt of her smile for the rest of his life.

_All the pretty girls in the world and you have to fall for the one who works for one of the most notorious pirates in three different oceans._ Honda would've smacked himself if it wouldn't have caused more questions from Jounouchi. Not to mention he stood a good chance of hitting himself in the face with his chains if he tried that.

He slouched down himself, staring up into the darkness over his head, and tried once again to think of a way out of this. What came to mind first and foremost was the simplest method, which had the least option of working: just punching their way out. The chains that bound the two of them were thick and strong, not likely to give any time soon, and kept clean and well-oiled also. No rusty bindings here that he could yank on and be free of in no time flat.

Overpowering someone when they were brought food…well, now that he'd seen Miho, he knew that wasn't possible. At least, he _could_ do that, but the idea of hurting her curdled his stomach.

_It would be like breaking a glass figurine._ He'd seen such glorious creations in the king's palace, each of them someone's hard work, each one worth a fortune, and each one so very fragile. He couldn't bring himself to hurt them, much less to hurt Miho.

"Any ideas?" He leaned over to whisper back into Jounouchi's ear. "We've got to do something."

Jounouchi just shook his head, his hair brushing against Honda's face as he did. Honda wasn't sure he would've noticed the motion otherwise.

_All right. So now what?_

With absolutely nothing else to do except sit and stare into the darkness, he closed his eyes and let whatever his imagination wanted to conjure up take over.

He genuinely wasn't surprised when it involved Miho, sunshine, and being far away from the ocean.

* * *

Once again the door opened and Miho stood there with a breakfast tray. Honda's head shot up and he smiled the moment he saw her. "Hey. Back already?"

There was enough light that he could see her better this time, and he definitely noticed her warm smile. "Good morning, sir knights."

Again she set the food in front of them and stepped back they could get to it freely. Honda took the chance to get a better look at her, doing his best not to look as if he were doing that in the first place.

He hadn't been able to get a good enough look the night before to know much about her. Now he could see she wore a tunic and trousers, both in a warm brown, with few patches and those neatly sewn. Boots completed the outfit, along with a yellow ribbon holding her hair away from her face. All in all, it was a practical sort of outfit for running around on a ship of any kind. A belt wrapped around her waist contained several pouches, probably for small items she'd need during the day. He didn't know what they might be, but he'd never been a servant to a pirate queen before. Nor did he envy her the job.

Breakfast consisted of fruit and something like porridge, along with more wine. It still wasn't the best, but he didn't think they'd find anything better, at least not until they got back home.

"So, has Yuugi had his breakfast yet?" Jounouchi asked, giving Miho a look. Honda wanted to smack him for that. He didn't have to sound as if he were blaming her!

"He eats with Captain Mai," Miho said, eyes shifting between the two of them. Honda wanted to think that she looked at him more than Jounouchi and enjoyed the floaty feeling such a thought gave him.

Jounouchi leaned forward, doing his level best to pierce her with his gaze. Honda hadn't ever actually seen him do that. His friend looked just a little too much like a large friendly brown-eyed dog to pull that one off convincingly. Still, he gave him credit for trying.

"What's she doing with him?"

Everyone knew Mai's reputation. She left survivors when she took a ship, but no one ever knew what made her choose to kill some and not others. Those survivors never told, either. Rumor had it that their survival involved keeping her secrets and if they ever broke that vow, she'd find them and finish them.

Miho just shook her head. "You don't need to worry about him. He's fine." And she would say nothing more about whatever was going on with their prince.

Honda tried his best to take his time eating. He wanted to find something else he could talk to Miho about, but being trapped in here didn't provide a lot of conversational topics to choose from.

"Are we going to get to get out of here any time soon?" It wasn't the best question but he really did want to know if they were going to see the sun before he forgot what it looked like.

Miho peeked at him, a thoughtful sort of tilt to her head. "I can ask Captain Mai if she'll let me bring you out for a walk around the deck. One at a time, if she says yes, probably."

Honda nodded; it was better than he'd thought they'd get. Jounouchi grumbled under his breath, but said nothing more, confining himself to finishing his breakfast.

Once again they were left in darkness after Miho left. Honda stared at the door, where little traces of sunlight could be seen. Not very many and not for long, since their prison was in the deepest part of the hold, but it was something. The only mildly interesting event, aside from Miho's visits during meals, was when the guard changed, and even that wasn't of interest for more than a few moments. The guards simply exchanged greetings, not even loud enough so Honda could tell what their names were, and that was it.

It couldn't have been nearly close to time for dinner when the door opened once again, and Miho stood there. This time, instead of a tray, she held a ring of keys. Honda could feel how tense Jounouchi was and stiffened as well. Before either of them could make a move, or Miho could move toward them, another pirate loomed up behind her, giving them both a stern look. No words needed uttering here.

Miho stepped over and unlocked Jounouchi first, gesturing for him to come with her. He glanced down at Honda, a wealth of promises in his eyes, and headed away in the wake of Miho and the second pirate.

Honda breathed in a deep sigh as the door once again was closed and locked behind them. At least they'd see the sun. He held onto that. Maybe they'd even get a chance to see Yuugi. That, more than anything else, kept his spirits up. If they could see Yuugi, they would have some idea of what to do. He'd be able to let them know if he had a plan yet or not, and if they came up with one, they could pass it on to him.

_I'd like to have a plan._ The question of who the mysterious mage was made making any plans harder than they should have been. If he knew who it was, then they stood a better chance of being able to plan against his presence. Or hers. Plenty of mages were female, and he'd learned a healthy respect for their abilities the hard way.

He fidgeted, hearing the hated sound of the links of his chains shifting against each other. He still didn't know why Mai hadn't killed him and Jounouchi outright. She'd never blanched away from killing warriors before, and he'd seen her skewer several of their own during the battle. She wasn't a squeamish kind of person at all.

_Maybe she wants to hold us for ransom?_ That was the only reason he could think of why she hadn't killed Yuugi right away. The prince would bring a high ransom, one that a pirate wasn't likely to see, and killing him would bring the full weight of his brother's armada down on her. While their kingdom didn't precisely rule the seas, King Atemu would see to it that any that harmed his brother paid for it in their own blood.

Not killing his bodyguards made some sense with that as well. He guessed one or the other of them would be released in due course to take word back to the king about whatever it was Mai wanted in return for the prince's release. If it turned out he was the one, maybe he'd ask if Miho could go with him to provide confirmation of what he said.

_I am not thinking about taking a trip on a small boat with just her._ Without Jounouchi, he had no reason not to smack himself, and did so. The chains still clinked and he pulled away before he could really hurt himself with them. _I am such an idiot._ He had to keep it together, to remember that no matter how nice Miho acted, she still worked for a pirate.

Maybe when he got the chance to take his walk on deck, he'd be able to find out her reasons. She'd have to stay with him, wouldn't she? To make certain he didn't do something like jump overboard and try to swim for shore.

Right, when he didn't even know which direction the shore was in, or how far away from it they were. He still hadn't figured out how long they'd been locked up here, much less which way the pirate ship sailed after the battle.

_Well, once I'm up there, I should be able to figure it out._ He'd be able to see which direction they were sailing, at least, and he thought he'd be able to figure out most of the rest from there. It would give answers he didn't know have.

He'd never had any idea of how much he judged time by the passing of the sun or what he had to do to pass said time, until now when he didn't have the sun or anything else to do. Time could've stretched on forever, or days passed in the twinkling of an eye, while he sat there in the dark. All he knew for certain was that _some_ time had passed before Jounouchi, Miho, and the silent guard returned.

Neither of them dared make any unusual moves while the guards still stood there, much less Jounouchi say anything about what he'd seen. Honda tried to get a glimpse of his friend's face, wanting something that would give him any sort of idea of what he'd see up there, but the lamp's light guttered even lower than before, giving him almost nothing to see by. Nothing but shadows and movement.

Miho stepped over to him, the closest she'd ever been, and Honda had to focus to remember how to breathe as she unlocked the shackles. He could feel the brush of her fingers across his skin and his heart thudded against his ribs fit to make him pass out. He hoped he would be able to stand, both because of having been chained up here and because of how near Miho stood to him.

"It's your turn now." He didn't need the sun for that smile to light up his heart. He'd lost all of his senses. He _had_ to have. A pirate's servant and a king's knight? It wasn't possible. She'd be arrested for being Captain Mai's accomplice before she'd set foot on land for a single moment.

He got to his feet and started for the door, taking each movement as slowly as he could until he felt his steps steady. Miho stayed beside him and he fancied that she did it in order to support him if he stumbled. Even if it didn't make any sense, it was a pleasant enough dream to keep close with. Dreams didn't hurt people. Dreams didn't chain them up, either.

Miho and the silent guard guided him out of the brig and down the corridor that led to a small flight of steps. The scent of the sea was even stronger in his nostrils now, along with the moan of the wind and the sound of sailors running to and fro. He thought he heard another voice, one he would have recognized no matter what, and his steps sped up just that little bit.

He didn't think about the light, or the fact he hadn't seen much of it for at least two days. All he thought about was getting out into it and seeing if that really was Yuugi's voice that he heard. Which was why when he reached the top of the steps and opened the door he found, the sunlight smacked him in the face hard enough that he stumbled, one hand groping blindly for something to steady himself on until he could see again.

He didn't find something, but someone found him. A warm, small hand closed over his own, one without any sword calluses, but still strong. He covered his eyes with one hand, moving to the side as someone else prodded him from behind.

"Be careful." Miho's voice came from the side where someone held his hand and he realized after a moment that it was she who supported him. It took him another moment to breathe after that. "Your eyes should adjust soon."

"Honda!" Yuugi's voice came from a short distance away, and Honda did his best to look toward it.

"Your Highness?" Normally Yuugi insisted that they not worry about the formality between the three of them, but given where they were, Honda didn't want any pirates getting ideas. He tried to peek out from between his fingers and winced, slitting his eyes quickly. That made it a little better, at least.

"I'm glad you two are all right. I've been worried about you." That was indeed Yuugi, drawing closer as Honda waited impatiently for his sight to clear up. "You are all right, aren't you?"

The knight shrugged. "I've been better." He wasn't going to say he was perfectly fine when he'd spent time in a dark jail cell with barely enough to eat and only one bright spark that didn't arrive nearly often enough. "So, when are we going home?"

Yuugi laughed a little and Honda could see well enough to see him rub the back of his neck. "I'm sort of working on that." He glanced over his shoulder and Honda followed his gaze enough to see Captain Mai seated at a large table, watching them. He couldn't see what was on it, if anything at all, but that didn't matter very much.

"I trust you, my prince." He meant that with all of his heart. He knew neither he nor Jounouchi would give up trying to find another way, but if Yuugi could work out some sort of negotiations, then best of luck to him.

The prince waved one hand at him. "Go on, have a good walk. Jounouchi really liked it, I know you will too."

Honda had no reason to turn that down, especially since Miho hadn't released his hand yet. He didn't make any move to insist that she do so, either, but took a few careful steps away, breathing in the fresh air and the sound of waves slapping against the side of the ship.

As soon as he could see clearly enough, he started taking in as much as he could. A quick glance upward told him they were sailing west, which, if he remembered from where they'd been before Mai's _Harpie Queen_ sailed into sight, put them a fair distance from their destination. Getting back would be hard, but not yet impossible. The wind blew strong, bellowing out the sails, and no one except Miho, the guard, Yuugi, and Mai herself appeared to pay that much attention to him.

That was just fine with him. He took in more fresh air, thoroughly enjoying the feel of the warm sun on his skin, now that it wasn't blinding him at the same time. Miho's hand remained in his and he decided it would be better not to look down and maybe remind her that he didn't need that kind of support all the time. Or maybe she did this to all the prisoners, so they wouldn't get any ideas about running off. He'd have to ask Jounouchi about that.

He made his way to the side of the ship and stared off into the distance. Miho stayed by him, not uttering a single word. If he didn't think too hard about it, he could almost deceive himself that they were on one of King Atemu's royal vessels, sailing off to whatever adventure Yuugi wanted to have next. Most of what he heard mirrored what echoed around on their ship anyway.

Except for Mai's voice, teasing and sultry, taunting Yuugi about something. He closed his eyes and concentrated on that, wondering if he could somehow become one huge ear just to hear this.

"Do you really think that you're going to win?" Proud, strong, convinced of her own superiority. Mai.

"I think you should ask yourself that." Confident, experienced, and talented. Yuugi.

"Two out of three. That's the deal. One each day."

"Right." Honda could almost see Yuugi in his mind'e eye now, leaning back with that challenging look he and Atemu shared when facing an opponent of equal skill and strength. "If you win, Atemu will pay you the ransom you demand."

"And if you win…" She chuckled at that, as if such a concept were beyond belief.

"Then we begin tomorrow."

Honda couldn't guess what Yuugi did have in mind, but if they were playing some kind of a game, then he _knew_ who was going to win. Atemu was the king of their nation, but Yuugi held a title of his own: the King of Games. No one had yet encountered one that he couldn't win, whether or not he'd played it before. He held back a smile. It might take a day or two to get everything settled, but freedom was in sight.

Miho tugged at his hand and he glanced down at her. "It's time to go back." He thought he heard regret in her voice. "You can come back out tomorrow. Captain Mai's orders."

He turned to where Mai lounged back in her chair, lifting her head as if she felt his glance. He wasn't sure what else to do, so just nodded with all the courtesy he thought he could manage at the moment. He would've preferred that she let them go right away instead of playing games, but his opinion on the matter hadn't been consulted.

"See you soon, Honda." Yuugi promised. Honda bowed his head more respectfully to his prince, making a note that if he could get his hands on some kind of a weapon, then Yuugi wouldn't have to waste his time gaming against a pirate who would probably cheat the first chance she had.

Back down into the darkness of the hold he went, however, and Miho hadn't let go of his hand the whole time. He was reasonably certain that she hadn't been holding Jounouchi's when they arrived back and that sent a certain happy thrill all through him. He wanted to ignore it, but some things just refused to slip away.

Unfortunately, she did have to release him so he could be chained back again, and he treasured the warmth he could still feel afterward. She offered him another smile, one he accepted and returned, then turned and left, her steps perhaps a little quicker than before.

_Maybe she just didn't want to look at me like this?_ Honda'd heard that sometimes prisoners felt a little sorry for their captors, especially if it went on for too long. But they hadn't been held that long, had they? A day, maybe two? Three at the most? And Miho was just so nice anyway.

"Did you see him?" Jounouchi spoke after a few moments and Honda had to jerk himself away from pleasant fantasies to answer.

"Huh? Oh, right. Yeah. I think they're planning some kind of a game or something to settle this."

Jounouchi snorted. "That doesn't surprise me." Fond overtones wrapped all around his words. "Well, if that's the case, we shouldn't be here that much longer."

"Right." Honda passed on the rest of what he'd heard; a few days weren't all that much, not compared to living the rest of their lives free. Maybe Yuugi could bargain them up some better food or more time outside while he was at it.

Once he was done, Jounouchi sighed a deep and heartfelt sigh. "Wonder why it's one a day. You'd think they'd want to get it done."

"You've got me." Honda didn't pretend to know how people like Yuugi, and apparently Mai, thought. Give him something to fight and he was good at it. Strategy, politics, and decision-making weren't his best points.

As the long hours stretched out before them, Honda's thoughts turned yet again toward Miho. He had little else to think about while he was there. He knew so little about her, but that didn't stop him from imagining almost anything. She was quiet and gentle, incredibly loyal to her captain…which he would've liked better if her captain wasn't a pirate, which did indeed put a damper on matters.

_What if she's the mage? What if she put some kind of a spell on me?_ Honda shivered at the thought, doing his best not to let Jounouchi notice that. She didn't look like a mage. All the mages he knew wore flowing robes and tended to expound on the great power of magic at length. At the very least they had some kind of an aura of power, so one knew not to bother with them.

Miho didn't do any of that. While not frail in the slightest (for how could one live on a pirate ship among pirates and be frail?), she didn't look as if she'd spent years honing skills that would allow her to put a shipful of soldiers and sailors to sleep at a moment's notice, much less enspell a knight against his will.

"What are you thinking about?" Jounouchi nudged him a little, and Honda could hear the smile in his voice. "It's that girl, isn't it? The one with the food. Miho."

Honda sputtered, trying to think of a way to react coherently and failing. It wasn't the first time Jounouchi teased him about an attractive lady of any kind and he never really got used to it. He clamped on to another thought before he could embarrass himself even more.

"So what if I am? I saw how you were looking at Captain Mai during the fight." Granted, they hadn't had a lot of time to do any _real_ looking, not with all the pirates around them, but he'd seen what he'd seen nevertheless.

He couldn't see if Jounouchi blushed or not, but from the way the other nudged him again, he thought maybe he had. "That's different!"

"Really?" Honda stretched the word out as much as he could and wished the lamp gave off more light, just so he could see the other's reaction. "What's different about it?"

"It just is!" Jounouchi snapped back, and Honda knew by that alone that he was likely bright red by now. "What's it matter, anyway? We're leaving as soon as those games are done."

As much as he wanted to deny this fact, Honda knew that he couldn't. He didn't like staying here in the dark, but once they left, he'd never see Miho again. Even if he did, she'd likely be on trial for piracy, and he could hardly say she hadn't done anything.

He didn't know who ordained love, but he hoped whoever it was got a really good laugh out of all of this. Since he certainly wasn't.

* * *

Dinner came, and with it Miho again. Honda drank in the sight and looked forward to spending even more time around her the next day. As it turned out, he didn't have to wait all that long. Somewhere in the middle of the night, the door scraped open, and both he and Jounouchi looked up, brought out of sleep by that faint sound.

"Huh?" At first Honda thought perhaps King Atemu's warriors had found them, until he blinked enough for his vision to clear, and saw Miho standing there. She carried a lantern in one hand, the flame burning bright enough to push back the shadows, and in her other she held the key to the manacles.

"Shh." She gestured him to silence with the hand that held the key and set the lantern down before she came closer to him. He wanted to ask what was going on, but dared not, especially not when he saw the guard on duty slumped against the wall, sound asleep.

_Did she do that?_ He couldn't forget his suspicions of her being the mage responsible for their defeat that easily.

Picking up the lantern again, she took his hand in hers and tugged, leading him out of the cell. Jounouchi stared after them, and Honda could hear him drawing in breath to say something. Probably wanting to know why he wasn't getting released, Honda guessed, and he shook his own head. He wouldn't leave this place without both Jounouchi and Yuugi anyway so even if she did plan to somehow get him off here by himself, he wouldn't go.

She led him back up to the deck, this time much quieter than before. The table where Yuugi and Mai sat before now stood empty, and only a few sailors moved here and there. None of them seemed aware of their passage as Miho led him to a small cabin, gesturing for him to go inside.

"What is this?" He asked, keeping his voice low as she closed the door and turned toward him.

"My cabin," she replied, her voice pitched normal, for her at least, he guessed. She didn't appear to make any effort to keep it down and he started to motion for her to do so. She shook her head at once. "No one can hear us in here. No one could see us pass, either. We're safe in here."

Unease ran cold fingers down Honda's spine as he looked at her. "Why is that?" _Mage?_

"Our mage and I have an understanding." Miho hesitantly smiled at him, fingers wrapped around the back of a chair. "I wanted to talk to you."

Honda wanted to look at anything that wasn't her, just for a chance to keep himself under control. He knew he'd been alone with women before, but never like this. He checked the room out, trying to figure out what he could about it, and her.

It wasn't a very large cabin, having just enough room for a bed, a chest he guessed she used to store clothes, a small table, and two chairs. Shelves built into three of the walls provided storage space for a few books and boxes, each of them elegantly carved, many of them decorated with seashells and coral. On the far wall from the door he spied a round window, latched shut, through which glimmering silver moonlight poured in to mix with the lantern she'd set on the table. Next to the window stood a tall cabinet, latched as shut as the window was.

"What is it you want?" He pulled his attention back to her, not sure of what he'd learned, if anything.

Her fingers tightened on the chair. "Just to talk. You won't be here that much longer, however Captain Mai and Prince Yuugi's games turn out."

_She's right._ What they were really settling was whether or not King Atemu would pay a ransom for the return of his brother and knights. Within three days, if not less, they'd be on their way home. Somehow.

"What did you want to talk about?" For all that he'd daydreamed almost since meeting her of talking to her about almost anything, his mind blanked now when it came to doing so. He struggled to find something, anything that would make any form of actual sense.

She didn't make any sort of answer and he looked around again, almost desperately, until he spied that ribbon in her hair once more. "Where did you get that?" Probably not the most original or unique question he could've asked, but maybe it would pave the way for others?

Miho reached up one hand to touch it with her fingertips. "My mother gave it to me when I was little. She had one like it." She smiled for a moment. "We used to always wear them together when she took me out shopping." She glanced toward him, a few curious questions written in her gaze. All she asked, however, was, "What about you? How do you get your hair to do that?"

He rubbed at his spike, grinning. "Can't tell you. It's a Honda family secret."

She settled down into one of the chairs, gesturing for him to do the same. "You have a family?"

"Of course I do. I haven't seen them in a while, though. The three of us travel around a lot. I do write to them, though." He tried to pull the chair out, only to find it was sealed firmly to the floor. _Duh. We're on a ship._ Furniture that wasn't securely fashioned tended to tumble all over if the winds and weather played too rough.

Oh, his family. He missed them. His sister, his parents, his nephew…

Well, maybe not his nephew. Johji could be a brat, and had been like that since before he could walk.

He managed to wiggle around into the chair, a little surprised at how comfortable it was. Yuugi's ship was one of the most richly decorated in the fleet, and it still wasn't always as comfortable as it could've been. He wondered again just what Miho's real place here was. This looked a little too fancy just for the captain's servant, or whatever she was.

_Wouldn't the captain's servant stay a lot closer to her?_ That sent another trickle of unease through him. There were too many things he didn't know about going on here.

"My only real family is here now." Miho said, bringing his attention back to her. She glanced down at the table, her hands clasped before her. "But that's not so bad. Captain Mai is wonderful and a lot of the others…we're all sort of a family for each other anyway."

A family of pirates. Not the kind he would've picked if he'd had a choice in the matter. He didn't want to get her upset at him, so he said nothing on that.

"Do you have any pets?" He knew all the stories about pirates and parrots, but he hadn't seen Captain Mai with one, and there were only so many creatures that one could keep on a ship anyway. "I've got a dog, but she has to stay with my parents."

Miho tilted her head, considering. "Captain Mai has a dragon friend that shows up now and then, but I don't know if you'd really call him a _pet_."

Honda hadn't encountered all that many dragons, and most of them were more than capable of carrying on perfectly intelligent conversations. He knew humans that weren't as good as they were. So, no, dragons weren't pets. "Probably not." He racked his brains for something else. Talking had never been his best gift. Why was all of this so _hard_?

Moonlight rippled through the window, brushing across Miho's hair as the ship sailed along. Honda caught his breath, wishing he could hold this moment forever.

"Have you ever been to one of the full moon festivals?" He didn't know a single kingdom that didn't have one of those, usually involving dancing, music, and feasting. Atemu's were especially spectacular.

Miho chuckled at that. "We have our own. We're going to have one tomorrow night, actually."

He took another look outside and realized that yes, indeed, the moon glowed full and bright above them. _Must've lost track of time._ He'd known the full moon hadn't been that far off, but with everything that happened, just how close it wasn't had failed to click with him.

"I think I can get Captain Mai to let you come to it. I'm sure she'll want Prince Yuugi to attend," Miho continued, "and he'll want you."

"Where is he, anyway?" By the stars he assumed Yuugi would be asleep, but he didn't know just where that might be. There wasn't enough space in their tiny prison for a third person, so he guessed there was some other place they were keeping him. Besides, even pirates knew you just didn't throw a royal prince into a dim little hold if you kept him prisoner.

Miho waved one hand, but not really in any direction he could pin down. "Captain Mai's couch. It's comfortable enough for him. He shares meals with her as well."

Honda swallowed a little, trying to ignore the images that conjured up in the depths of his mind. "Oh, all right." He did his best to sound off-hand about it, but from the quick look she gave him, and a hint of a smile, he wasn't sure how successful he was.

She stood up and moved over to the cabinet, unlatching and opening it with skilled, practiced movements. "If you got to know her, I think you'd like Captain Mai. She isn't an ordinary pirate." Her voice dropped a little lower, for all that she'd said no one could hear him in there. "I think she's lonely. More than she wants to tell anyone."

The last thing he wanted to do was feel any sort of sympathy for a pirate. Still, he couldn't help but think of Jounouchi and how he'd been lonely once upon a time as well. And how Yuugi helped both of them with that.

"Kidnapping people doesn't usually fix that." Honda watched as Miho took out a small carafe and two goblets, of much finer make than the cups they'd been given with their meals. He wasn't any sort of wine expert, but when she poured the wine, the scent _definitely_ wasn't that of the substandard vintage he and Jounouchi had been being given.

"This is from Kuragari," Miho said in response to his quirked eyebrow. "Not their best, but I like this one."

If he hadn't seen her pouring it from the same carafe, and the two goblets hadn't sat in plain view the whole time, he would've wondered if the wine contained some kind of a drug. Instead, he picked up one of them and sipped carefully. He'd seldom tasted Kuragarian wine, since Atemu's kingdom hadn't settled any trade agreements with them as of yet, and this was an excellent example of the type.

"How did you get this?" They weren't properly in Atemu's kingdom, but he guessed they weren't too far from it. At least within sailing distance. Kuragari lay at least three months' travel away by the fastest ship at their disposal.

Miho's lips twitched just a little at that. "Honda, we're pirates."

Oh. Right. He'd almost forgotten that in this comfortable cabin, with the glittering moon shining in, and a pretty woman smiling at him. His heart skipped a little beat or two as it also dawned on him this was the first time that she'd used his name.

He turned his attention quickly back to the wine, sipping it carefully. He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that he hardly knew her and this wasn't the most intelligent act he'd ever made in his life, but he didn't care.

"Tomorrow, would you dance with me?" Dancing at a full moon festival could mean a lot or it could mean nothing at all. He didn't know what it could mean now, other than spending what time he could with her. Perhaps that would be good enough.

Miho nodded, a quick little motion, sipping her wine as she did. Honda's heart skipped yet another beat or two. He could hardly wait to see what a pirate's full moon festival would be like.

* * *

Lights strung on cords, shimmering soft and silver to reflect back the light of the full moon hung everywhere, lighting up the deck. Music, though Honda couldn't find any actual musicians, floated through the air, not loud enough to interrupt conversation, but providing a pleasing backdrop to them. The scent of roasted chickens and hams wafted over the ship, teasing at the appetite. If Honda hadn't known better, he might well have thought they were still on Yuugi's own ship.

The prince himself stood by Captain Mai's side as she spoke to her crew, a sort of satisfied smile on his lips. For a wonder, the captain looked satisfied as well, not at all what Honda would've expected if she'd lost whatever game the two of them had played that day.

"What happened?" He murmured under his breath from his position directly behind Yuugi. For the night of this festival, he and Jounouchi were allowed to stay with their prince, though none of them carried any weapons with them.

Yuugi glanced over his shoulder, that smile not having faltered for a moment. "I won."

Well, in Honda's opinion, that was something on the nature of saying 'the sun came up'. "What are you two playing, anyway?"

"We're dueling, of course." Yuugi tapped the card case on his belt. Honda could've hit himself again; he should've guessed. Yuugi loved games of every kind, but the new sensation that was sweeping the land had caught his attention more than any of the rest of them. He'd never been any good at it himself, preferring his sword to spells or monsters.

Jounouchi tilted his head back, attention going from Yuugi to Mai. "Is she any good?"

"She's very good." Which explained both their looks: the look a warrior had when meeting someone as good as they were, if not better. Honda knew it well. "You might want to play her sometime before we leave, Jounouchi."

Jounouchi folded his arms over his chest and sniffed a little. "Maybe." Honda knew his friend well enough to know exactly what that meant. There would be one more duel before they left this ship.

His gaze shifted around, searching for Miho. When he spied her, he caught his breath. While dressing up for these festivals wasn't required, a lot of people did it, and she'd done it. Instead of the practical clothes he'd seen her in before, she wore a soft blue gown, with a yellow sash around her waist to match her ribbon. In concession to the warm night, the gown's sleeves only came down to the middle of her upper arms, tied there with more yellow ribbons.

"All right, let's party!" Mai finally declared, and a cheer rose up from the assembled pirates, who either charged the groaning tables with their food or spun out onto the largest part of the deck to begin dancing. The captain turned toward the three of them and for a moment, Honda expected her to tug Yuugi onto the makeshift dance floor.

Instead, she reached out a hand to Jounouchi. "Care for a dance?"

The blond eyed her for a few moments, then shrugged and took her hand. "Sure."

Honda would've been a lot to know just what was going through Jounouchi's mind just then and he reminded himself to ask as soon as he got the chance. Right now wasn't that time, though, not with Miho coming over toward him, one of those shy smiles on her lips.

"I think you wanted a dance?" Miho asked as soon as she was close enough. He smiled back at her, taking her hand at the same time.

"I think I did."

Together the two of them spun out onto the deck together, moving through the ancient steps of the dance that honored the moon and the eternal cycle. The various couples moved in circles, both with their partners and with everyone else, cycling first to the right, then to the left, then reversing and doing it all over again.

Honda had danced this dance multiple times since the first time his parents let him dance, when he was only ten. None of those times matched this one. It wasn't that Miho was a spectacular dancer; she was about average, really. It was the fact they were dancing together, under the full moon, and for a few precious moments, they weren't a pirate servant and a king's servant, but just two people, enjoying themselves together.

Each dance lasted only so long as the people in it wanted to keep going, and Honda wondered if they could go all night long. Sadly, his feet didn't agree with that assessment, and there came a point when he looked down at Miho and jerked his head toward the sidelines. She nodded, and the two of them slipped out of the circle of dancers as soon as they could, heading almost at once to where the feast awaited them.

"That was wonderful."

Honda had to agree; the smile just didn't seem as if it would fade from his face. He took time enough to look around and see where Yuugi and Jounouchi ended up before he accepted the cup Miho held out to him. Jounouchi and Mai still swirled together on the dance floor and it didn't look as if they'd stop any time soon. He rolled his eyes; Jounouchi likely wouldn't stop until Mai did, and she didn't look as if she'd even broken a sweat.

It took him another few moments to find Yuugi and when he did, he had to stare to make certain his eyes weren't deceiving him. The prince leaned against the side of the ship, a small plate of food in his hands, chatting with a young man Honda'd never seen before. _I would've recognized that hair anywhere._ Cloud-white and cloud-fluffy, this man would've stood out anywhere.

"Who's that?" He nudged Miho and indicated where he was looking with a jerk of his chin.

"Oh, that's Bakura. He joined us about a month or so ago. He's harmless." She offered him a plate, heaped with enough food for even his current appetite. Tomorrow it would be back to prisoner's basics again, but tonight, Mai let everyone feast to their heart's content. He could sort of see why Miho supported her the way that she did.

Honda nodded, his attention sucked away by the food and the company. So long as this Bakura didn't bring any harm to the prince, he wasn't too worried. Yuugi could take care of himself on many levels as well.

The two of them worked their way through the food together, chatting about anything and everything that came to mind. Honda bit back a yawn; he didn't want this night to end. He knew it had to; he just didn't want it to do so any sooner than it had to.

He was just about to ask if Miho wanted to go for a walk along the deck, away from the few dancers still twirling around, when a sudden cry split the night.

"Captain! Captain! It's the _Pillager_!" One of Mai's lookouts called down from the crow's nest.

Mai finally brought her dance with Jounouchi to an end, eyes blazing with rage. "All hands on deck, get ready to fight!" She whirled to face Yuugi, who stepped away from the side as soon as the alarm came. "_Pillager's_ captained by Keith Howard. Heard of him?"

"The one they call Bandit Keith?" Yuugi asked, head tilted to the side. Mai nodded and his eyes narrowed. "Give us back our weapons and we'll lend you a hand."

For a moment Honda thought she'd refuse. Then she turned toward Miho. "Do it."

Honda barely had a chance to breathe before he felt the weight of his sword in his hand once again, just as it had been before he'd fallen asleep by the mage's magic. He swallowed, more thoughts he didn't want flickering through his mind, and pushed them all to the side. He could fret about this later. It was time to fight.

Moments later, Keith's pirates swarmed over _Harpie Queen_'s deck, roaring and waving their swords fiercely. Her people met them with battle cries of their own, fierce and determined, and better still, disciplined in a way that his cutthroats weren't. Honda had seen many of them fight during the battle on Yuugi's vessel, and he respected their ability to use a blade.

The _Pillager's_ people were nothing like that. He didn't think most of them could've landed a blow in an honest fight if they'd been paid to do it, since they used every underhanded tactic at their disposal and then some.

He also didn't spend too much time thinking about it, since he had to defend himself within moments of the attack beginning. He parried one blow and struck back quickly, sliding through the other's guard and drawing first blood. He didn't waste much time on this grungy sailor, though, backhanding him out of the way and looking around for Yuugi. In any fight, he knew his place was at his prince's back, next to Jounouchi.

When he found Yuugi again, there wasn't a shred of surprise that Jounouchi already stood beside him, wielding his sword with none of his skill lessened from their days in the dark. What did surprise him was that Bakura stood next to him, a sort of annoyed look in his brown eyes, though not a single visible weapon.

He wanted to find Miho as well, and tell her to get out of here, but no matter where he looked as he pushed his way over to Yuugi, he couldn't find her. _She knows to protect herself,_ he reminded himself. She'd likely been through multiple battles before and come out none the worse for wear. That didn't stop him from worrying, though. Nor did the worry stop him from fighting.

Just as he arrived at Yuugi's side, a pair of invading pirates leaped up there, followed by a half-dozen more, all of them with blades pointed toward the prince. He and Jounouchi rose to the occasion, swords clashing against the pirates' blades in an ever-rising cacophony.

Honda was so busy with the battle he almost missed what happened. One of the pirates slipped by them, coming closer to where Yuugi and Bakura stood, Yuugi fighting as well as any of them. He didn't like to fight like this, Honda knew well, but when it came down to it, he would defend himself and those he cared about as well as any of them.

Yuugi blocked one blow, pushing the pirate back, but even as he did, the one who'd slipped by started in, a small sharp dagger in his hand, moving too fast for Yuugi to do anything about.

But not for Bakura, it seemed. One hand reached out to brush against the side of the pirate's face, a touch so light Honda doubted that he would have even noticed if it had happened to him. Light flared, and for the briefest of moments, Honda thought he saw an image rise around Bakura, one wing of black leather, one of white feathers. It vanished before he could even be certain he'd seen it in the first place. Yet something had happened, no matter what he'd seen or not seen.

The pirate blinked, lowering his knife, and looking around before he spied Bakura and bent his head. "Sir?"

It was just as well Honda had enough on his mind with all the fighting he was doing, or he might well have stood there with his mouth open. Bakura gestured to the fighting still going on.

"Go kill them. Don't stop until I tell you to or you're too hurt to continue."

The pirate saluted without hesitation and plunged back into the fray, slicing as many of the _other_ pirates from the _Pillager_ as he could.

_He's a mage. A mind controlling mage._ Honda held back a shudder, hiding it in the thrust of his blade into yet another enemy. They needed to get off this ship, and the sooner the better. He wasn't sure if he trusted Mai, but he knew he didn't trust this Bakura.

If only he could get Miho to come with him…

He had little time to do anything else but fight, catching a few glimpses as he did so of Mai's sword clashing against that of a burly blond man, who spent most of his time yelling and spitting at her. She didn't look even remotely impressed by him.

One by one, the pirates thinned out, either killed, too injured to continue fighting, or in a few cases their allegiance switched by Bakura's gentle touch. Few of the defenders escaped without marks of some kind; Honda could feel blood trickling down both of his arms and a stitch in his side ached whenever he breathed too deeply.

"I'll see you again, Mai!" The blond declared as she shoved him back, following it up with a strong kick to one knee that practically sent him head over heels. "This isn't over!"

Mai rolled her eyes. "I told you the last time, Keith, it's over. And the time before that. And the time before that. Are you going to finally take no for an answer or do I need to slice you up some more?"

The only answer she received was a furious glare as he called his pirates to him and headed back to his ship. Mai shook her head, muttering something under her breath that Honda would've guessed wasn't repeatable in certain levels of society.

"They used to see each other." Miho's voice came from close by and he looked up to see her coming toward him, a small box in her hands. "She ended it and he took it hard. So he comes by to bother her whenever our ships are too close together."

Honda nodded, most of his strength and energy draining out of him as his body realized that the fight was over with. Miho tugged on his shirt. "Let me take care of those wounds of yours, please."

As she opened the box, revealing bandages and small jars of oils and salves, Honda quickly wriggled the shirt off. The idea of stripping to get his injuries looked at didn't bother him; the idea of Miho being the one to do it made him a little glad of them in the first place, just to feel her gentle fingers brush against each of them.

"All right." Mai snapped the words out as she stalked down to stand where everyone could see her. "I know we had more duels planned, Prince Yuugi, but after this, we don't need them. You've earned your freedom, and that of your friends. We'll put you off in the nearest port to your kingdom we can reach from here. That'll probably be tomorrow."

Honda froze where he sat. Just like that, it was over. He looked back toward Miho, who still kept working on bandaging where he'd been cut, and swallowed hard. He'd known this would happen. It couldn't have been any other way.

She glanced toward him, then back down, but he knew what he'd seen: the same shock and surprise that he felt.

"Maybe we'll see each other again," she murmured, carefully wrapping the last bandage around his arm. "I'd like that."

He found a bare smile on his lips, rubbing at each bandage carefully. They felt well done; she'd learned her craft thoroughly somewhere. "So would I." He took a long breath. "The night's not over. Want to go for a walk once you're done?" If she had any kind of healing knowledge, she'd have to tend to everyone else who needed help that night. He couldn't take her away from that.

"Sure." She started to pack her tools up again before she moved on to the next person. Then she stopped and looked at him. "Do you think you could give me a hand with this? It's not much, really. Just if someone gets out of hand."

Honda stood on his foot at a moment's notice. "Not a problem." His injuries weren't that bad. In fact, he thought they felt better with every single moment.

* * *

The next day, and arrival at the port, arrived too soon for Honda. He hadn't slept a single bit all night, spending it with Miho, first tending the other injured, and then both of them trying to unwind from everything. He didn't know where Jounouchi spent it, only that he looked as if he hadn't had any more sleep than Honda himself had. Yuugi alone looked well rested, and there was no sign of Bakura around either. That all by itself eased Honda's strain to some degree. The mind controlling mage _had_ been useful in the fight, but the thought of that kind of power unleashed for the wrong reasons chilled him.

"Good-bye, Captain Mai." Yuugi saluted her with full courtesy and she returned it, respect in her eyes.

"We'll have those other duels some day. You can count on it."

Yuugi's grin flashed bright. "I will." He nudged Jounouchi for a moment. "And maybe then you two can duel too."

Jounouchi's cheeks flushed a brilliant shade of red. "We sort of…did already. Last night."

_Well!_ Honda grinned at that. He'd have to nag at Jounouchi about this as soon as he could. He looked toward Miho, who stood dressed in her ordinary clothes once again.

"See you." He couldn't think of anything else to say. What else could there have been?

"I look forward to it." Miho bent her head quietly. "Good-bye, Honda."

The three of them stepped down the gangplank leading to the docks, none of them pausing to look back. Honda only did so before they actually left the wharf, when they would've been just in sight of the ship itself. Only Yuugi's presence had kept the local garrison from attacking _Harpie Queen_, a known pirate vessel, and Honda wasn't surprised to see the ship fade out of sight, cloaked by whoever the mysterious mage was.

"We'll see them." Yuugi promised, turning his steps to the garrison commander's home. They would be able to get horses and supplies there, and get on their way home at last.

Though Honda felt one part of his heart would always be on that ship, sailing with a woman with a ribbon.

* * *

"You liked him." Mai leaned back in her chair, a cup of wine in her hand. "The one with the spike. What was his name?"

"Honda." Miho sipped at her own wine, a thoughtful look in her eyes. "I wish we could've had more time together."

The pirate captain shrugged, taking another drink. "Like I told them, we'll see them again." She considered for a few moments before she spoke again. "Did you tell him?"

Miho shook her head, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks. "I didn't think he'd like it if he knew."

"Knew that you're the one who beat them all with that sleep spell of yours?" Mai chuckled. "You're probably right. You know how guys can be. Though…those three are something special. Maybe you can tell him one day."

The young sorceress glanced at her captain, who nodded, reinforcing her words. Perhaps it would happen. She looked out the window to where the city, still visible to them despite her spell concealing them, drew out of sight with every passing moment. "Maybe."

**The End**


End file.
